Hey Pandas, What’s A Phrase Or Saying You Were Surprised To Learn The Meaning Or Origin Of? (Closed)
What's a phrase or saying you've used or heard that surprised you when you learned what it really meant or how it originated?
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“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”- to mean “be grateful for what you are given/gifted, apparently comes from the old days when people wanted to know if a horse was healthy, they would check it’s teeth (ie “look in its mouth”) So basically- if you’re given a free horse, don’t check to see if it’s a GOOD horse, just be grateful you got a free horse!
Dem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht in´s Maul. I guess this idiom was created in Middleage? When you see the teeth of a horse, you have an impression how old the horse is. How worn/used the teeth are. And in that time, even an very old horse was of high value, cause you could slaughter it. So, in any case - you where happy, when you where gifted. Please excuse my bad english...
Ahhhh... I thought it was some kind of curse if you looked at its mouth. Now I see the stupidity in that idea.
When addressing corruption in an organization (police, church, etc.) you often hear them say that it was only one or two bad people, and not systemic, by saying "It was only a few bad apples". Except, the whole phrase "A few bad apples spoils the bunch" is a warning about systemic corruption.
I've always heard "a few bad apples spoil the barrel" but yes, this is what it means. Corruption anywhere leads to corruption everywhere.
I've always heard "a few bad apples spoil the bushel" I wonder how many forms of this there are.
Load More Replies...Funny that you thought that when everyone else is thinking of the police.
Load More Replies...Begs the question... There is a common use today that is quite different than the original use from formal logic
Isn't the point of this post to explain the origin? Seems a pointless post on here without it
My point, dear Sara, was to see what other Pandas thought about this phrase. I'm happy to see that both conflicting uses of this phrase have been pointed out in the comments.
Load More Replies...Yes. To "beg the question" actually means to plead the question, i.e. to make a circular argument. An example would be "How do you this man's testimony is the truth?" "Because he swore on oath when he made his testimony."
Saying "My/your name is mud" meaning to be disgraced by your actions is a reference to Dr. Samuel Mudd who treated John Wilkes Booth for his injuries after he assassinated Abraham Lincoln. As a consequence his career and life were effectively ruined as he was convicted of being a co-conspirator and sent to prison.
Nope, just a coincidence. The phrase is older than that. https://grammarist.com/idiom/ones-name-is-mud/
Kat097 was referring to a different phrase "older than mud/dirt/the hills which is correct. It's inclusion on this list is highly appropriate. Certainly not deserving of down votes and I've up voted to offset.
Picket Fence comes from General George Pickett who lead the last charge at Gettysburg. Sideburns come from General Burnside, confederate general.
Clue From the ball of yarn or "clew" that Theseus unraveled behind him in the labyrinth of the Minotaur
My new experimental rock band is going to be called 'Labyrinth of the Minotaur'. The first album is going to be titled 'Journey of Theseus', first track, 'The Clew'. We will have epic tours with all sorts of lighting and effects. And yes, a Moog will make its appearance.
This is awesome!!! I LOVE this. I will have to look you up. Ever perform in northern Wisconsin US. 😝
Load More Replies..."panem et circenses" (by Juvenal) which is very fitting for the Internet, as well as many other aspects of our "entertaining" society (thankfully not all of it!).
"Bread and circuses : sustenance and entertainment provided by government to appease public discontent". Très improbable! /s
And from one end of the cultural reference scale to the other - this quote is, of course, the reason why the dystopian society in The Hunger Games is called Panem.
Load More Replies...Butt load equaling a lot. Origen of the phrase is: A regional English measure of capacity of a heavy cart (a butt), containing 6 seams, or 48 bushels, equivalent to 384 gallons.
Not really a phrase, but a kids' song- Ring Around the Rosie is about the Bubonic Plague
Apparently this is a myth - the rhyme isn't nearly old enough https://www.thoughtco.com/debunking-ring-a-ring-a-roses-1221610
Apparently the blame for the misconception lies with James Leasor who wrote The plague and fire in 1961. (Science is golden, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki)
Load More Replies...I broke my sisters leg playing that game, and then she used her cast as a club
I read a book in the 80s, Who Really Killed C**k Robin? by Norman Iles, which showed that the plague explanation is a myth as this was originally a ring dance with many different versions. The modern version was published in Victorian times and thus became the accepted version.
"Blind drunk" homemade alcohol may contain methyl alcohol can damage the optic nerves
Nope. Just means too drunk to see straight. https://slate.com/technology/2012/12/blindness-treated-with-whiskey-can-you-really-lose-your-sight-from-drinking.html
Although, drinking "methyl alcohol" WILL have that same (and likely permanent) result...
Load More Replies..."Câline de bine!" is basically French for "goshdarnit". The origin is railroad workers, French and English working together, a rough translation of the English guys yelling "Coal in the bin!"
"As the crow flies" . "Dead to rights" - still searching for meaning of this one. Thought it was related to sailing but not so. Anyone?
Or to say: "guilty with undeniable evidence"...
Load More Replies...It's an absolutely bog-standard use of the word "dead" to mean "completely", as in "dead reckoning", "dead ringer", "dead wrong" and so forth. And "as the crow flies" is just because crows fly in straight lines. https://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-ast1.htm
As the crow flies - to take the most direct route (googled it). Dead to rights - caught in the act of a crime, caught red-handed (googled).
If someone could inform me why Kat097 was downvoted here, even if their explanation was wrong, I would greatly appreciate it. They guessed, that’s all. Their comment wasn’t mean or rude. Downvote goblins really need to leave people alone
Bye, Felicia. (I thought it was just something my mom said. I was wrong.)
And another post without sharing the origin! Is this a difficult concept? :D
It is from the movie "Friday". It means to dismiss an annoying person or subject
Load More Replies...Too scared to add an answer ... the downvotes are strong in this one
Save your downvotes for when someone is being mean. Downvotes can get you banned and no one deserves to get banned for making a mistake.
Too scared to add an answer ... the downvotes are strong in this one
Save your downvotes for when someone is being mean. Downvotes can get you banned and no one deserves to get banned for making a mistake.
